al-Ju' li-Ibn Abi al-Dunya
- Author died
- 281 AH
- Editions
- Dār Ibn Ḥazm
Kitab al-Ju’ (The Book of Hunger) is an ascetic treatise by the Baghdadi scholar and traditionist Abu Bakr Ibn Abi al-Dunya (d. 281 AH / 894 CE) . The work gathers prophetic traditions (hadith), narrations of the Companions (athar), poetry, and sayings of early figures concerning voluntary hunger, the censure of overeating and satiety, and the spiritual disciplines associated with renunciation (zuhd) .
Subject Matter and Content
The treatise compiles transmitted reports with chains of transmission (asānīd) illustrating the ascetic lifestyle of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, his household, and his Companions, highlighting their endurance of hunger and simple sustenance . Among the texts transmitted in the work is a report from A'isha stating: أوَّلُ بَلاءٍ حَدَثَ فِي هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ نَبِيِّهَا الشِّبَعُ ("The first affliction that occurred in this community after its Prophet was satiety...") .
It also documents the practices of Companions such as Abu Juhayfah, who reportedly curbed his eating after being admonished against excessive belching and satiety, remarking that he had not filled his stomach for thirty years . The text further records aphorisms and reflections from early Muslim figures regarding the spiritual and physical effects of food restriction; these include sayings attributed to al-Hasan al-Basri, Yusuf ibn Asbat—who observed that hunger softens the heart—and others describing hunger as a hallmark of prophets and the righteous that fosters wisdom and piety .
Commentaries and Publications
A dedicated commentary on the work was authored under the title Daw' al-Shumu' Sharh Kitab al-Ju' . The treatise has appeared in multiple modern editions, including an edition prepared by Muhammad Khayr Ramadan Yusuf, published by Dar Ibn Hazm in Beirut in 1417 AH / 1997 CE (and reprinted in 1421 AH / 2000 CE) . It has also been printed as part of larger compiled collections containing the surviving treatises of Ibn Abi al-Dunya .
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